Second Chance
by Everlasting Hello
Summary: She never expected to survive that night. She never expected to find a new friend. But when she ended up in a very familiar scenario, she should have known what to expect then.


A/N - Maybe I'm the only one that notices because I'm such an obsessed freak, but I'll say it again - if the line spacing on this annoys you, I'm sorry.

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><p>She felt the knife bite into her neck, felt the pain burn like poison throughout her system. Her legs went limp as she collapsed to the ground. The knife slipped out of her hand as darkness descended.<p>

A voice called out to her. Was it him? Would he welcome her to eternity? She became aware of a light above her. She could see the outline of someone in that light, someone looking down on her. An unfamiliar voice, an unfamiliar silhouette. Was it an angel? Then the darkness came back.

She stared at the light above her. It was bright, with a slight buzz to it. Did God use artificial light in heaven? That must be it. There was no way she was still on earth. She tried to look around, and that was when the pain bit her again.

No. No freaking way. Her hands struggled to reach her neck, fighting vaguely against tubes and sheets. They finally reached their goal, and carefully explored what she had tried to destroy. Pain burned in her as her fingers traveled over cloth bandages and gauze.

No. Someone had fixed her, saved her. No. Didn't they know suicide when they saw it? Some people didn't want to be saved. A voice reached her, and she strained her eyes to see its owner.

"Stay still, miss. You almost died, you need to rest." She couldn't see who was speaking without turning her head, and that was out of the question. "It's a real miracle that you're even alive, miss. The doctors said you're real lucky."

She felt tears burn. She didn't want a miracle. She didn't want to be lucky. God must really hate her.

She fell asleep, and slept for what felt like forever. When her eyes opened again, the room was dim. She heard breathing, someone was here.

"Who..." Her voice was little more than a raspy breath. The person moved, and a face appeared over her in the darkness.

"Hello? Can you talk? What's your name?" She focused hard on the person, but it was too dark to make out the face. She could tell from the voice that it was a boy, not the same person who talked to her earlier. He sounded like... the angel? Was he finally going to take her away?

"Mi...ku..." Talking felt like swallowing fire.

"Your name is Miku?" She moved her lips like she saying yes, but she could not force any sound from her throat. "I'm Len. I found you in the alley with your throat slit. You're in the hospital. The doctors managed to close the wound, and they said that you should make a full recovery. It's a miracle you didn't bleed out, you must be special."

There was that word again. Miracle. She didn't want that. She heard a sharp breath.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as the darkness blurred.

Len was there when she woke up again. It was daylight, and the light coming in through the window gave her her first glimpse of the boy. He had blond hair that was spiky in the front and pulled up into a ponytail in the back. He looked like he was younger than her, his wide green eyes full of childish innocence. Of course, just because someone looked innocent didn't mean they really were.

"Hey..." Talking still hurt, but not as bad as before. How long had she slept? Len smiled as he leaned over the bed.

"Hey...Miku, right?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes so that she wouldn't see the concern on his face. The worried look he wore made her throat cry in pain. "Why...you..." Her voice was so raspy.

"I don't think you should be talk-"

"Care?"

"What?" She opened her eyes and saw confusion spread across his face.

"Why do I care?" She merely blinked at him.

"You're hurt, you need somebody to care. You would've died if I hadn't found you."

Didn't make sense. She closed her eyes, this time from tiredness. She realized that they must have put her on some drugs, or she would have been in a lot more pain. The tiredness dragged her to sleep once again.

Miku looked down at her hands as she thought. Many days had passed before she was able to move. She was nervous when they stopped the drugs, but the worst of her pain was gone. Except for the pain that ate into her mind, the pain that they could not reach. That twisted and coiled, gnawing and burning as she sat helplessly in its grasp. She ran her hands over the sheets, feeling the cool fabric slide under her fingers. The door opened, drawing her eyes to it.

It was Len. He smiled as he closed the door carefully. He was always smiling slightly, even when he talked. She didn't see what he had to be so freaking happy about. Had he smiled when he found her? His voice took her mind from that question.

"It's nice to see you up, you're usually sleeping whenever I come by. Are you okay?" She nodded slowly. Talking still hurt, they had messed up her throat some when they saved her life. Would she ever be able to sing again?"Can I ask you something?" She looked up at him.

"Yes." Raspy still. Not good for singing.

"What happened?" The vague question earned him a headtilt from her. "The night I found you, I mean. I would've asked you sooner, but I didn't..." His voice trailed off as he saw the look of misery on her face.

"Please...don't ask." She looked down at her hands. Len followed her gaze and noticed the ring she wore on her left ring finger. He looked back up at her face. Just how old was this girl?

"Are you engaged?"

"What?" Len nodded at the ring.

"No, no. This is just a...purity ring." She smiled as she spun the band. Yes, a purity ring. She would stay pure, forever and ever, because she would never love again. Love had already burnt her heart once, she had no room for more scars. He had set fire to her, and now the ring he had given her would protect her from her own stupidity.

A phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts again. Len pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He checked the screen and frowned. Miku blinked, surprised that his smile could slip away so fast.

"I'll be back in just a minute," Len said as he left the room. Miku looked back down at her hands and spun the band again. Maybe she should have told him that it was an engagement ring. Maybe if he thought she was already someone else's, he would leave and never come back. But lies hurt her throat more than anything else. Lies had caused her so much pain, even before she had tried to kill herself.

Len closed the door behind him and answered his phone.

"He-"

"Where the heck are you?" The other voice was tense with anger.

"I'm at the hospital-"

"With that girl again?" Len sighed as he leaned back against the door.

"What does it matter, Rin?" He could easily imagine his sister shaking with rage at his question.

"I told you to leave that girl alone, she's nothing but bad news!"

"You've never even met her."

"I don't have to meet her! She tried to kill herself, Len! You're just wasting your time." He stepped forward, wondering if Miku could hear him. "You said she was holding the knife when you found her, correct?" He rolled his eyes. Here we go with this again.

"Yes-"

"Then it was obviously suicide! Have you asked her about it?"

"She doesn't want to talk about-"

"See? She's just-"

Len hung up on her. He wasn't going to tolerate her constant interruptions. His phone rang a few seconds later. He waited for several rings before answering it.

"Hell-"

"Don't you dare do-"

Hang up. He smiled as he pictured her anger. He loved Rin, he really did, but she could be an outright bitch when it came to Miku. His phone rang again. As soon as he answered it, a sharp scream of rage erupted from the device. He held it at arm's length and waited for the scream to end, earning him curious looks from a few people in the hallway. It finally ended, but he still waited several seconds before putting the phone to his ear.

"Feel better?"

"Yes, thank you." He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, 'thank you'? Did somebody finally remember how to be civil?"

"I mean it, Len. You're spending all this time on that girl, and there's no point to it. You should just come home and leave her alone." Rin's voice was creepily calm.

"I can't just leave her alone. Why do you hate her so much?"

"Do you know what day it is?" Len blinked.

"Um, Friday?"

"Also known as the day you promised that we would go to the fair." He jerked as he remembered what she was talking about.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry! I forgot all about it."

"Of course you did, cause you're too distracted by this girl. I looked all over for you after school, and I couldn't find you anywhere. Gumi had to give me a ride home because you had taken our car." Len looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll make it up to you," he said. Rin snorted.

"With that girl around, your promises aren't worth the breath it takes to say them. I'll see you when you get home." She hung up before Len had a chance to answer.

Miku looked up when the door opened.

"Is everything okay?" Len nodded, but he didn't look okay.

"That was my sister, Rin." Miku tilted her head.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Len nodded again.

"We're twins. We do pretty much everything together... she's practically my best friend."

Miku looked at him for a few seconds, then looked at the wall.

"She doesn't like me, does she?" Len blinked with surprise. How had she...? "You've never came here with her. It's pretty obvious that she doesn't approve of you coming here." Len let out a heavy sigh. Miku looked down at her hands, studied the ring for a few seconds. "You should go home. I'm not worth fighting with your sister."

"Don't say stuff like that!" Miku looked back at him. Len's sudden anger was not a good sign.

"Please... just leave. I'm tired." She saw the frustration on his face and felt her heart grow heavy. Not again. She would not break up a relationship, especially not the brother-sister bond Len had with Rin. "Go home." Len hesitated, then turned to the door.

"Bye, Miku. See you tomorrow." Her voice stopped him.

"No. Leave, and don't come back." Len turned to look at her. Miku's eyes were tightly closed, her hands shaking slightly. "You don't need a complication like me. I'm not your problem." Len didn't say anything. He just stepped back to the bedside. After a few seconds Miku opened her eyes and looked back up at him. "Didn't you hear me? Go!" Len leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then he turned and left the room. As the door closed, Miku felt deep heat flood her cheeks.

No. It was happening again. She tried to check herself, put a wall between her and him. But how was the wall supposed to work when Len didn't even know it was there? She felt hot tears slide down her face. Miku cried that night.

Rin sat on the couch and glared out the window. Her green eyes narrowed as she glanced at the clock. It was six forty-five. How long did it take to visit a girl in the hospital? She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Frustrated. They didn't need this. Len had been a total pain ever since he'd found that girl. Always worried about her, always thinking about her. He was no fun now. He didn't care about Rin anymore, it was just that girl, that girl, that girl.

She squeezed her hands tightly. What about this girl? This girl, who has always been there for him? This girl, who loved him so very much? This girl, who didn't try to kill herself? She wasn't happy when they were apart. Didn't he understand? She deserved him. After all, they had been born together. Been together since day one. Can't get much closer than that. The other girl knew nothing, while she knew everything.

Len was so stupid if he was going to waste his love on some girl who didn't even want life. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She looked up as she saw movement. The car pulled into their driveway. She sat up straight as the door opened and Len got out. Len wasn't stupid. He made better grades than she did. He was just making stupid choices. Like when a little kid thinks they can fly, and they climb up on top of their house to try it. Of course, their parents quickly gets them down and scold them for it, and they cry and learn the lesson. Stupid choices.

He walked up to the house, and she heard the front door open.

"Hey." Len stopped at the word, looking at her like she had asked a question. She turned back to the window, avoiding his gaze.

"Look, Rin, I'm really sorry I forgot. If you want we can go now-"

"Save it. I don't care that much." Len closed the door and looked at her. After a few awkward seconds he tried to break the silence.

"Miku is doing better. She'll probably be able to leave the hospital soon." Rin's eyes narrowed. Bringing up that girl like that was downright cruel.

"Good. She can go straight to hell." She glanced over and saw the anger on her brother's face. He turned and left, and she heard his angry steps going all the way to his room. Stupid choices. Him mentioning that girl was the latest in a long line of stupid choices he'd made ever since she'd shown up.

An idea slid into her head, making Rin smile. That girl didn't want to be alive, she'd made that obvious. Why not help her out? Of course, Rin would have to make sure the girl succeeded this time. Make it look like a suicide, too. Her mind churned with thoughts as she looked through the window at the sky above.

Miku slid her legs off the bed. She hesitated for a second, her feet a few inches above the floor, them lowered them until she felt the cold tile. She stood up, a little shaky from spending too much time in bed. She stumbled over to the window and leaned against the cool glass. She heard the door open but didn't turn around.

"I told you to not come back, Len."

"I'm not Len." She blinked and turned.

Rin stood in the doorway and studied the girl standing before her. Miku was older than her, but looked like a frail little doll standing there in her hospital gown. The bandages around her neck reminded Rin of a collar, which brought a smile to her face. A collar, like what a dog would wear. This girl was just Len's pet, nothing more. She took a few small steps towards the girl."I'm Rin, Len's sister."

Miku nodded. "Yes, he told me about you."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, he did? Interesting."

Miku turned back to the window. "I'm very sorry."

Rin blinked. "For what?"

"For making you two fight. I know what it feels like to have someone you care about abandon you. I would never try to do that to anybody." She lifted a shaking hand to her neck and felt the bandages. "If I had died that night, this would all be over."

Rin stepped closer. "You can end it all now."

Miku's head jerked up as Rin opened the windows. They were very tall, the bottom of the frame just below Miku's knees. She felt a harsh wind hit her as she looked at Rin.

"That is why you're here? So you can have him all to yourself?"

Rin's eyes narrowed against the wind. "I'm just doing you a favor. You wanted to die, right?"

For a moment neither girl spoke, they just stared at each other. Miku looked through the window at the ground below. Could they fix her if she broke everything? She would show Len the wall, and he would never cross it. She put her hands on the sides of the frame and started to step up on it. That was when she noticed the familiar blond hair moving across the parking lot towards the hospital.

Len. The pain twisted. She couldn't do this to him. She would leave a scar on his heart, just like the scars that ate her up. Pain breeds pain, and the thought of hurting him was too much.

"No..." Rin looked at Miku. "I can't... I can't."

"You will." Rin's voice was a snarl as she shoved Miku with all her strength. The older girl tumbled out the window, plummeting to the ground below. A blast of agony, followed by darkness.

Pain. Everything was hurting. All she heard was a thumping sound in her ears as light moved in front of her eyes. The light gathered into shapes.

Len. His face shifted in and out of focus, sometimes being so clear that she could see the tears in his eyes, sometimes being so blurry that she once again thought he was an angel. Please, Len. Give up on me. Go away, and let me die. She became aware of other shapes. Tall shapes that gathered around her. Everything went blurry as she felt herself being lifted. The world started moving, and as it shifted into focus again she saw lights. They moved overhead, one after another. She stared up at the lights until the darkness crashed down on her again.

She saw him again. The one who burned her heart, made her scared of love. Kaito. He was laughing, she didn't know at what. Next to him was Luka. Miku felt bitter anger as she saw the woman who she had once considered her best friend.

"This is your fault. No one would have been hurt if you had just backed off." Miku's voice was clear and sharp, not raspy like it was in the hospital. "And you," She turned to Kaito. "This is your fault, too. I loved you so much, and you just threw it away. You deserve the pain I gave you."

He was still smiling. It didn't seem as if he was listening. Luka said something to him, and he turned to her.

"Hello? Are you even listening?" Miku felt anger burn in her belly. They were just talking and laughing to each other, completely ignoring her.

"I WAS SO HAPPY!" she screamed. "Until you two betrayed me! I hate you so much! I hope you rot!" Agony sank its teeth into her neck again. She wanted to scream out her pain, but that would just deepen it. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she shook with anger. Luka and Kaito suddenly dissolved away, and someone else appeared.

Len. He was sitting on the ground with his legs pulled up to his chest. She felt her anger melt away as she watched him bury his face in his arms.

"This is my fault, too, isn't it?" She dropped to her knees as she felt a sudden tiredness sweep over her. "I reacted badly. I should have just let go. I never meant to hurt anyone. I just wanted Kaito to love me." She buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, Luka. I'm sorry, Kaito. You were my best friends. What I did is unforgivable." The pain that had been coiling and burning in her mind suddenly weakened. She felt it fade away, and for the first time in what felt like forever she felt... What was it? It wasn't sad, it wasn't happy... she was... content. Like everything would be okay, even if it wasn't right now. She dropped her hands to her lap and looked at Len. Rin appeared next to him. She knelt down beside him and hugged him, her mouth moving as she tried to comfort her brother.

"We all had a hand in this, didn't we?" Miku whispered. She smiled as she watched them.

"Please, Rin. I want to know Len, too. I don't want to be alone forever. I know you hate me, but try to understand." The two siblings faded away, leaving her alone. She slid into sleep.

It was a long time before Miku woke up. Len and Rin were there when she did. Len hugged her gently, trying his best not to hurt her. Over his shoulder, Miku saw Rin's face. The younger girl looked sad and tired.

"Miku." Len let go of Miku and stepped back so that his sister could talk to her.

"I'm sorry. I just... I didn't..."

"It's okay." Both blonds blinked as she smiled. "I understand. I did the same thing." She looked down at her hands as she explained.

"This ring on my left hand is from one of my friends, Kaito. I really loved him, and he claimed to love me as well. But one night, I saw him cheating on me with our friend Luka." She spun the band slowly. "I got so mad, and sad, and... I don't know. I called them a few days later and asked them to meet me next to the theater so we could watch a movie, all three of us. I took a knife with me. When I got there, I stabbed Kaito before he or Luka could even react. She started screaming, so I stabbed her and ran off. I ran a few blocks away to that alley and slit my own throat. I was fully ready to die that night..." She took a deep breath.

"But I don't want to die anymore. I want to live, to keep going." She stopped, and for a few moments the room was silent. Rin finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, Miku. I've been thinking a lot since you fell... I was being selfish. I... still have a lot of growing-up to do." She stared down at her feet.

"...I forgive you." Rin jerked and looked up at Miku. The older girl smiled.

"I hope we can be friends," Miku rasped. Rin hesitated, then grinned and nodded.

"We can try." A wide smile spread across Len's face.

"So, no more fighting?"

Rin nodded. "Hopefully, yes, no more fighting."

Weeks passed, and Miku eventually recovered from her second miraculous survival. She grew to know Len and Rin very well, and the three of them became very close. The day she left the hospital, they went out to the park to get some ice cream and play with people's dogs. While she was eating her ice cream, a flash of pink caught her eye. She turned and saw a woman with long pink hair walking next to a man with blue hair. They were laughing and talking, and seemed to be just fine. She felt a calm smile spread across her face as she watched them.

Of course, if she had survived that night, it only made sense that they would as well. Miku turned and walked off with her new friends, enjoying the feeling of knowing that her past was just as happy as her future.

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><p>AN - So yeah, yay, happy ending. This was based off reAct, but the video for that song is so vague that no one can agree on what happens, so I decided to turn it the way I would like for it to end.

And I'm pretty sure yesterday was Luka's birthday, so... happy birthday to her.

...Yeah.


End file.
